Dealing with the Elements (ON HIATUS)
by A Scribbler
Summary: When Freya is housesitting for her brony brother, the last thing she expects are six of his pony figures to transform into the real things! But how did they get there and why can't they get back? And who is this Discord guy that keeps trying to bargain with Freya? None of the answers are making sense, but is that the clue to solving the mystery? (The cover made by Nicolagirl XD)
1. Sense of Security

**A/N:**

**My first Pony fanfic so go easy on me!**

**Basically, when the pony-dolls become real, they will be foal-sized (about knee-high on a average adult human) because that's the size the plushie dolls were before they were transformed. When they transform/become real, they will not be a toy, they are the real things! Just to avoid confusion later XD**

**So this is just a starter chapter to get an idea for the characters, but I promise that chapter two will be ponies galore and they'll be as in-character as I am able to keep them. I'll need a lot of help with this one, so make sure to tell me what you think XD Onwards to the story my friends!**

"Thanks for doing this Frey. So you're sure that you're going to be okay? I mean I know it's only for a week or two but seriously, you're sure you're okay with this?"

I rolled my eyes at my older brother jokingly, "Yes, Nate, I'll be fine."

"And you know the rules?"

A sigh, "No parties, no boys, no leaving the house after seven and… no fun?"

"Freya, I'm serious."

"Alright, alright, jeez anyone would think I'm twelve not twenty."

He smirked, "I'm just making sure, is all."

"Well if you don't trust me then why not ask mom to watch the house while you're away?"

"Uh, because it's _mom_. And I do trust you, but I'm just making sure, it's my house after all. You'd be the same if you were in my position."

"Fair point." By this point I just wanted to have some peace and quiet, "If you say so, now get going before you miss your train."

"Hey you're right for once." Nate looked at his watch, another reason to figure he didn't trust me as much as he claimed. He handed me a set of keys, "Well, kid, the house it yours. You can sleep in the spare room or my room."

Sleeping in my brothers bed, thanks but no thanks. I may not be a kid anymore but I still believe in boy-germs, "Which one, you have two spare rooms."

"The one that isn't locked."

Oh hello, "Why is it locked?" I asked, a cheeky grin spreading on my face.

"Because I locked it." He said pointedly, "Now I've gotta go, just remember to lock the front and back door before hitting the hay."

"Awe, but the thought of a murder breaking in sounds so exciting." I pouted.

"Freya." He warned again.

"I'm joking! Look I'm just here to watch the house and get my coursework done in peace, nothing is going to happen."

"Famous last words." He sniggered, heading out of the front door, "Thanks again, Frey, I'll give you a call when I arrive."

"Sure thing." I assured, giving a wave from the doorway, "See you soon!"

I watched as he walked around my car and into his, reversing into the road and waving anxiously as he took his leave and out of sight. It was official, he didn't trust me. Well I'll show him. What did he think I was going to do? Burn the place down? I wasn't that bad a cook! Speaking of which, I was starving. Well look at that, my first act at having the house to myself and I'm snacking… Freedom unlocked to the max apparently.

Speaking of unlocking things. I felt a glimmer of intrigue as I recalled the mentioning of a locked door. What was Nate hiding? Yet another reason to name the lack of trust here. Why hide things from me? I climbed the stairs, curiosity burning like wildfire. The upper floor was pretty basic in layout, the main bedroom at the top of the stairs, bathroom to the right and two smaller bedrooms to the left. I never understood why a single, twenty-five year old man would want a three bedroom house to himself. My mom said that it was something called _domestic-optimism_. I called it a waste of money.

"What're you hiding in there?" I muttered, pressing my forehead against the wood to peer through the keyhole, but found nothing but a white wall staring back at me. Trying to lay down and look under the door didn't help either, the carpet was too thick. But like hell was I giving up that easy. Call me stubborn or even wasting my time, but I just had to know. If I was going to be stuck in this place for over a week, I wasn't going to waste it staring at a 'mysterious' door. Think of it as… security. Or something like that.

So I walked out into the back yard, trying my best to navigate the outside wall and pinpoint which window was my gateway to the room. To be honest, that didn't take that long, it was a pretty small house despite the bedroom number. Like I said, Nate lived alone, he couldn't really afford the big fancy places around here. But anyway, once I found the right window, and to my luck of I had any, found that the curtains were not drawn, I figured that my next challenge would be how to get up there… Looking around, I couldn't really find anything to my use. That is, until I caught sight of a ladder leaning against the shed at the back of the garden. Bingo!

Old, heavy and most likely breakable, it was my only shot and I took it. I lined it up against the wall and hoped to god that it wouldn't slip as I took a few tentative steps upwards. So far so sturdy, I cautiously continued to scale the ladder until I was half way up. My curious glaze downwards didn't last long. Don't look down, idiot, I told myself, I know it's not that high but you don't want to do that again! Focusing more on the generic upwards direction, I kept moving until my fingers brushed the sill of the window. Grinning in my victory, I peered inside…

My eyes widened in awe. Not amazed or wondrous awe, just pure wry shock. The posters, the dolls and figures covered the walls and shelves, DVD's and merchandise galore. I didn't know what to do with myself. No wonder Nate had told me not to go in, no wonder he didn't want mom knowing about this. No wonder he locked the door! Laughing all the way, I slid back to the ground and pulled out my phone, dialling hurriedly.

"Freya?" Nate's voice echoed as he answered my call, "You didn't burn the place down already did you?"

I struggled to speak through my snickering, but he heard me alright, "Holy hell, Nate! You're a brony?!"

There was a pause, mostly filled with my laughter, but he finally answered. His tone brief, to the point, and warning, but not without a brotherly sense of humour, "Don't touch my stuff."

"Yeah I'll be sure to keep my _hooves_ to myself!"

"Goodbye, Freya…" he grumbled.

"See ya around, bro…ny." Oh my god this was priceless, I'm never going to let him live this one down. Ever.

* * *

_Six figures stood together against their enemy, eyes narrowed in determination as they endured his mocking sniggers. They should have known better than to truly believe that he had converted to their side. They should have known that true chaos can not be tamed. They should have known that it was only a matter of time before old habits would just prove too stubborn to be erased. The six had willingly challenged him, and the favour was returned with great amusement. The enemy had learned some new tricks, and he was more than willing to test them out. And what perfect subjects. They wouldn't see this coming. But they would see the extent of his newfound power. He grinned cunningly and waved his fingers menacingly._

"_Goodbye… My little ponies."_

* * *

It's been two days since Nate left, and things have been so quiet that I think I'm starting to loose it a little. So, to keep my sanity, I'd taken to blasting my music loud enough to block out the world further. The enjoyment of sending Nate pony related messages to wind him up had lost its entertainment. I didn't really mind that he was a brony, if he liked the show then he liked it. Personally I couldn't share the notion, I found the programme cute to say the least. The most I could say was that it was… colourful. At the end of the day it wasn't my business what my brother was into, so for now I'd stop teasing him. For now.

"Huh?" I looked down at my phone and paused the music. Oh speak of the devil, "Hey, brony."

"Will you give me a break, Freya?"

"I'm just messing with you! Jeez! So what's up?"

"Just checking in on you, is all." Nate claimed.

"Everything is fine thanks." I replied, not hiding the bitterness, "How're you?"

"Pretty good, man I forget how boring these meetings are."

"In that case, please don't tell me about it." I mused, "Do you know when you're going to be back yet?"

"Not yet, but it's still looking like a week or so. Why? Are you getting lonely up there?"

I ran a hand through my mass of curled hair which kind of reminded me of the colour of coffee and narrowed my eyes, "No! Christ, I'm fine, you know for once it would be nice if you trusted me instead of-"

_Bang!_

What the hell was that? I stared at the ceiling, the sudden noise sounding from right above me. Mutters and footsteps were muffled from floorboards and walls. Did I leave a TV on or something? No, no I'm sure I didn't. What was happening?

"Come on, Frey, you know I trust you."

Nate's voice made me jump and I realised that I was still on the phone to him. I also noticed that I had been holding my breath and promptly released it, "Uh, yeah… Look can I call you back later?"

"Aren't you a little old to be stropping off?"

"I'm not stropping, I'm-"

_Bang-Bang-Bang!_

"I'll call you later."

I disconnected the call and grabbed the first thing I could to defend myself which unfortunately turned out to be a spatula but to be honest I didn't care by this point. Cautiously making my way towards the stairs, my eyes strained to see the top. What the hell was I doing? Why did I hang up? Why was I investigating this? Rule number one in horror movie survival, you never investigate the weird noises and rule number two is you never hang up on someone who might be able to help you! And a spatula for a weapon, was I insane?

But I was already upstairs, too late to turn back now. Well, in hindsight I guess it wasn't but at the time I think I was caught up in the mood of it all. The noises sounded like they were coming from the locked room. That was good. That meant that whatever was inside couldn't get out. I hoped. What was going on in there? The door suddenly jolted, making me jump back in alarm. That, I recovered from quickly, but what I wasn't prepared for, was the serious of voices that now rang perfectly clear from the other side…

"Are you gonna get us outta here or what?"

Another voice, tinted with a southern twang snapped back, "I'm tryin', Dash, I don't see you helpin' out here. If ya haven't noticed it's a little harder when you're Applebloom-size!"

"I've always envied Sweetie-Belle's petite figure but this is _quite_ ridiculous."

"I agree, but there has to be some logical explanation."

There was an eruption of laughter, "Ha! Look-it! I'm Mini-Pie-Pinkie-Pie! Ha!"

"Um, excuse me, g-girls; I-I think that there's something out there."

I froze at what the softer of the voices just said. Could they see me? Oh, right, the keyhole, duh. Well two could play at that game. As quietly as I could, I crouched down and peered inside. My heart raced and I could hear my blood pounding in my ears. My lungs daren't release any air. Just through the keyhole, instead of finding the white wall like before; I was met with a large and curious, blue eye staring right back at me. Crap…

**A/N:**

**A full explanation of what's going on will take place in the next chapter so stay tuned! XD I really hope you liked this and if you did, please let me know. If you didn't like it, please tell me why and I'll do my best to improve. We're all learner writers here and we should help one another out, right? Well, I'd better get writing, lol XD**


	2. What?

**A/N:**

**Thanks for the great comments so far! It really means a lot XD This chapter is an attempt for me to get the characters right, I hope you like it!**

"Who's in there?" I demanded as I backed away, the eye blinking to reveal a pale lemon eyelid. I wanted to ask 'what' they were but that wasn't going to win be any favours.

There was a pause where I could hear whispers of the strangers discussing their next step. Finally, it seemed that one of the more impatient voices took charge, "Hey! Are you gonna let us outta here or not?"

"Uh… I'd rather not." I admitted, well I may as well go with my first approach, "What are you?"

"Dash, calm down!" another voice scolded, clearing her throat before turning her attention back to me, "We're very sorry to bother you, my name is Twilight Sparkle and my friends and I seem to have landed in a bit of an odd situation. So if you would be so kind as to let us out, we'd really appreciate it."

What kind of a name was that? I took another step back and shook myself, "You've kind of broken into my house so I think I'll be keeping the door closed… and I don't know where the key is so even if I wanted to open it I couldn't!" Why was I trying to reason with a group of strange intruders?

"In that case, stand well back, this might make a mess." The southerner announced.

Before I had time to register what she'd said, the door gave another violent jolt as something crashed full force against it. The hinged creaked threateningly. Oh crap… They were breaking through the door! Another jolt, I jumped backwards and almost stumbled into my backside. Just managing to recover, my legs carried me down the hallway and into Nate's bedroom, slamming the door behind me and rolling over the bed to duck down behind the other side. My hands fumbled for my phone to call someone for help as my heart pounded against my ribs. I cursed myself; I'd left it downstairs. Why was I so stupid? I should have kept Nate on the phone or even called someone before trying to take this on myself! Damn it!

The sound of wood splintering and thundering against carpet rang loud and echoed through the house. A muffled shriek could be heard as if one or two of the intruders themselves were surprised by the volume. How were they strong enough to knock a bolted door open? I looked down at my hands and angrily tossed the spatula aside, let's face it, it wasn't going to do me any favours. Jeez I was twenty years old, I could have planned this confrontation so much better! The only option I had left that gave me some hope for escape was the window. But… I couldn't just make a free-fall jump from a second story floor! I wasn't much good escaping if I broke my legs in the process.

"Hello-Hello?" The sounds of rhythmic thudding gave me the image of someone skipping along the landing, "Maybe they're playing hide-and-seek? Come out-Come out wherever you are! Marco!"

Actually the window wasn't such a bad idea. I made a run for it; forcing the pane upwards, my eyes travelled downwards. Okay, not that far a jump all things considered. Man this is going to hurt! I cocked my leg over the sill and leaned over to bring my other leg out into the open. Perched in place, I took a breath in preparation to drop. From there I'd run to a neighbour or something and get help. Dangerous or not, these strangers were still intruders. Okay, Freya, on three. One. Two. Three!

"Whoa there, missy!"

Something clamped on the back of my top and yanked me backwards. My head clipped painfully on the top of the window-frame as I was over-balanced and toppled back into the bedroom and onto my back. Vision blurred from dizziness, my eyes tried to focus on what had grabbed me. But all I could seem to see were bright colours. Fuzzy shapes of yellow, orange, pink, purple blue and white. Jeez how hard did I hit my head? I groaned and covered my eyes his my hands, rubbing them to try and gather my thoughts together. But the quizzical voices around me weren't helping.

"My stars… What do you suppose it is?"

"Something that locked us up, that's what!"

"I can't remember reading about anything like it in the library… Fluttershy?"

"Oh, um, I don't think I've ever seen something like it before, sorry. But, um, I think that it is a she."

"Haha! Kinda looks like a stretched and squashed pony-thingy!"

"I'm not so sure that there's a pony."

Pony-thingy? They _think_ I'm a girl? It? My hands peeled from my eyes and I managed to make out the features of the strangers. And almost instantly I wished I'd kept them shut. My body jolted upwards and I found myself standing at my full height and pressed against the wall in fearful panic. These creatures, six of them, were more or less the same height as my knees. At first you'd think that they were dogs of some kind, but the legs were too defined, necks a little too long and facial features not canine at all. In fact they looked more like… small horses? Very small. Wait; pony? Is that what they meant by earlier? They were ponies? Wait again! They were talking! Talking, knee-high ponies… What the actual hell?

And what was with the markings on their hides? I studied each creature cautiously, but intently. The one right at the back, as if trying to hide itself behind a wave of pink hair was the blue-eyed yellow that I'd seen through the keyhole. But she had wings. Yellow feathery wings right there by her tattoo. Butterflies? How did wings or butterflies make sense tattooed onto a horse? But then again, what _did _make sense here? The next was orange; apples as her markings and a large brown cowboy hat atop a blonde made tied to the side, large green eyes looking at me questioningly yet encouragingly. The sky-blue creature was hovering in the air, wings on show proudly; magenta eyes, almost covered by a thick rainbow-stripped mane, narrowed as if it didn't trust me; a rainbowed lightening-cloud printed in place. Two of the creatures had horns producing from their foreheads. One a lilac shade with a purple mane parted with a pink streak; matching star printed in place and purple eyes staring intently, studying me almost as much as I was her. The second, pure white and pointedly flicking a styled violet mane, blinking sapphire eyes curiously at me, diamonds standing out strategically from her hide. I was about to try and get a better look at the sixth, but it seems it had beaten me to it.

"Whoa! What are you?" A bright pink flash asked me, jumping up to prop her hooves against my knees, baby-blue eyes wide and excitable as they looked up at me. Her hair a wilder mass than my own and again, bright pink. I could just make out some balloons stamped onto her as she grinned widely, "I mean I've seen some pretty strange looking creatures, every-pony had come to think of it and I'm not even saying you're the strangest because that Discord is pretty funny looking and don't even get me started on the hydra! So what's you're name? I just remembered that I'm asking what you are but not who you are and that's pretty rude, huh? Whoopsie! So you got a name? I'm Pinkie Pie!"

I'm pretty sure if the little thing wasn't in the way my jaw wound be on the floor. So not only could they talk, but they could also talk at a mile a millisecond. My voice was tight and slightly rasped from shock, but I just about managed it, "Wh-what are you?"

"We asked you first you silly-not-so-filly!" the hyper one, Pinkie, giggled, "But isn't it obvious? We're ponies, duh! But you're not, so what're you?"

I swallowed thickly, "H-Human. I'm a human." I stammered.

The blue Pegasus, I think that's what she was, glided a little closer, "Well then, _human_, where are we?"

"My house." My words were getting rushed, panic still running high, "Which I still don't understand how you're in by the way!"

"Well we honestly have no idea," the diamond-flanked creature stated, "But personally I assumed that you we were expected due to welcoming ensemble."

Welcoming ensemble? There wasn't anything like that in this town let alone in the house that could relate to them. In fact the only thing in that room was… Pony merchandise. Ponies… Oh holy crap I must have seriously cracked my head on that window. There was no way… Could there? No of course not! Don't be so childish Freya! You're not six anymore! There's no way that My Little Pony _toys_ are now becoming flesh and bone and kicking doors down and invading! But they were still toy-size, being knee-sigh on me and all; but they weren't plush or anything, they had real hair and skin! Or at least my mind was telling me they were. They weren't real! They couldn't be real! Cartoons in real life… NO!

"You alright there, sugar-cube?" the southerner asked.

"Oooh, you don't look so good." Pinkie pouted.

The sudden realisation that this couldn't be real both scared me and gave me confidence, "You're fictional… this isn't real…"

"Fictional?" the purple unicorn asked, seriously I was calling her that? Yes apparently. "We're not a delusion, although I'll admit this was. Clearly we're not meant to be here."

"Not exactly, no!" I huffed, "You're a carto-"

"This is all Discord's fault!" rainbow-mane snapped, "He did something as usual! I told you he couldn't be trusted!"

"Calm down, Dash, we'll have this mess straightened out soon enough. Now, human, I know this must be very strange for you but I assure you we're in the same position. Please, understand that."

Twilight, I think she called herself earlier; had a point. By the looks of things, illusion or not, they were as clueless as me right now, "How did you get here?"

"We're not really sure, but we think we know who made it possible. I don't suppose you know where Equestria is, do you?"

I assumed that's where the show was set, "I really don't think you'll find it anywhere around here. To be honest I don't think you'll find any other ponies like you around here either. This is a _human_ world!"

The six exchanged looks of nervousness. Twilight turned to face them, "Okay girls, we have to find a way to reach the Princess, if we can then we might have a chance at getting back home and putting a stop to this madness."

"But how're we gonna do that without Spike? I doubt they have mail delivery here let alone a post-dragon." Rainbow-mane shot at me accusingly.

"We have mail!" I retorted, "And why do you need mail anyway? You don't have hands, how can you even write?"

"Better than you can!"

"Good luck without a _dragon_! Dash, was it?"

"That's_ Rainbow_ Dash to you; and I bet you think dragons aren't real either!"

"I know they're not! And for that matter-" I stopped abruptly and realised that our foreheads were practically pressed against each other in anger, her wings flapping furiously. I'm arguing with a possible figment of concussion… "I'm not having this argument."

"Okay, cool it down." The southerner ordered, "The pair of you."

I refused to be told off my a fiction character, "Alright, look… Real or not, can you just tell me what's going on?"

"Oh-oh, pick me!" Pinkie started jumping on the spot, barely reaching above my waist, "We know a bad-guy who was trying to be a good-guy and he was good for a while but then I think he got bored and now he's a bad-guy again, but then he got super good at being bad real quick and then _poof_! Now here we are."

I looked down at her grinning face before looking to the others for help. The white unicorn sighed exasperatedly, "Unfortunately that's a pretty good description, all things considered. I'm afraid we're not going to be much help with an explanation. It all happened so fast."

Great… So let me get this straight, for my own sake more than anything. Six toys from the locked room have now come to life and are flesh and bone walking around and think that they're the real characters but they don't know they're characters. And they want to get back to where they came from and stop some 'bad-guy' who somehow sent them here. And they're still plushie size… I've got two words for a situation like this: Why me?

Okay, time to set the record straight, "Listen, this is a human world, and you guys are from a TV show. You're fictional and shouldn't be here so maybe I'm just loosing my mind here! And that room you came out of wasn't a welcoming committee, it was merchandise that my brother collects. You were most likely _toys_ ten minutes ago!" And they most likely still are and I hit my head really hard…

"Well that explains why I fell off a shelf." Pinkie cackled, "That gave me a bit of a bump in the rump but it was okay in the end so now it's fun! Ha! In the end, get it?"

She, unlike the others, didn't seem surprised by the idea of being a source of entertainment for another species. The southerner adjusted her hat anxiously, "Well this just ain't makin' sense."

"Discord is involved." Dash scoffed, "What do you expect?"

Twilight's eyes lit up, "That's it! Discord takes pride in not making sense! That explains it!" At the looks of confusion from not only her peers but me included, she tried to elaborate, "Discord creates chaos, right? Confusion included. That's why he dropped us in this mess! This is just one of his big distractions to confuse us and lead us off topic! A game!"

I didn't know who this Discord person was, heck I'd seen like two of the show's episodes and neither involved something by that name. But if it was the kind of thing to enjoy not making sense and playing games at the expense of others then frankly I wanted to be rid of it. And them. Dash scowled, "What game?"

"With that ruffian it could be anything." Diamond-flank stated.

Helpful… I was getting really dizzy from all of this. My knees wobbled and I found myself sliding my back down the wall to sit on the floor, "Listen, I don't understand what this is exactly and I'm debating if I want to or not; but this isn't normal and I suggest you get in touch with this Discord person and tell them Game Over and they win so you can go home and I can pass out in peace. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah. I _bad_ plan!" Pinkie insisted, "He's a bad-guy remember? Do I have to explain everything again?"

You barely explained anything the first time, I stopped myself from saying. Twilight furrowed her brow in thought, "But we do have to make contact with Equestria somehow before things get too out of hand."

"Considering the invasion of miniature mules I think it's a bit late for that." I scoffed, the words out before I could stop them.

"Hey!" Dash snapped, "Who are you call us that, human?"

I was quickly loosing my temper, "Maybe because this is my home you've randomly landed in, this is my world you're saying isn't normal and for the record my name isn't Human! I _am_ human. My name is Freya! And I'd like answers. I know you may not have all of them, but you have enough. So when you're ready," I folded my legs and arched an eyebrow, "I'm listening."

The six exchanged a look. I noticed that the yellow one at the back still hadn't said anything, and she looked more fearful than the others so I felt bad being so forceful, but I needed to be. I waited patiently. It looked like Twilight was their leader of sorts because they kept stealing glances at her. Finally, she nodded.

"Well seven heads are better than six and maybe going through it properly might clear things up for all of us." She tilted her head at me, "Okay, I guess you could say it started yesterday when we were making an inspection on Discord's progress…"

**A/N:**

**And there'll be some sort of explanation in the next chapter. But not everything, there' got to be a little bit of mystery, right XD Anyway, until next time! **


	3. Theories

**A/N:**

**Thanks for all the support guys! You're awesome!**

"So… Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and…?" I left the question open, having learnt the majority of names except for two.

"Applejack," the amber shaded one answered, gripping my hand between her two front hooves and shaking it forcefully, "Pleasure makin' your acquaintance."

I retracted when I could, my arm feeling numb for her strength, "I'm guessing you're the one who knocked the door off of its hinges…"

She chuckled sheepishly, "Mighty sorry about that, sugar-cube."

I shrugged it off. Lets face it, there were bigger things to be focussing on instead of some chipped wood. But I really wasn't a fan of being called a pet-name by them. To be honest I kind of hoped they wouldn't be around long enough for me to get used to it. Finally turning to the last member of the group, I asked her what her name was. Her eyes lowered behind her pink mane as if to shield herself.

"Flummm-sh-hmm…" she mumbled. I was about to ask her to repeat that, but the others were looking at me with such expectation that I figured I'd be delaying things to do so. Looks like five out of six would have to do for now.

As I sat at the dinner table, the throbbing in my skull was starting to decrease. But what wasn't starting to decrease was the bizarre nature of the situation I found myself in. Cartoons, pony cartoons, but real and alive, where sitting before me. Or rather, two were perched on the table, three on chairs before me and one hovering accusingly in the air. We'd gotten here after I had made a stop into the newly opened spare room. From what I'd seen by looking through a the window a few days ago, my theory was right. Six large doll figures of six ponies were missing. Missing as in they were no longer in the room. The living, breathing, still knee-high beings before me made their absence less mysterious. Or more mysterious. I don't know okay my head is starting to hurt again!

"So you think we're just dolls? Do I look I'm made of stitches to you?" the oh so charming flyer questioned. Rainbow Dash, I was forcefully told.

"No you don't, and that's kind of the point I'm making." I shot back, "I'm saying that you _did_ fifteen minutes ago."

"Well fifteen minutes ago I didn't have to fly to see over a table."

Why was she being so argumentative? I wasn't denying anything she was saying, was I? Pinkie giggled, folding her front legs on the tabletop, "Dolls, TV show, wow we're more famous here than in Equestria!"

She wasn't exactly wrong I figured. After all, by the amount of merchandise in the spare room, there was obviously a high demand for the show's items for all ages. Go fig… "So I've told you how things work here. Now it's your turn. How did you get here?"

Applejack adjusted her hat slightly, "Now there's a good question."

Twilight took over, her expression serious, "Well we've explained about Discord, yes?" I nodded in answer. From what they'd told me, he was one strange and messed up thing that took enjoyment in driving people crazy. Personally that sounded like my brother's sense of humour but I wasn't about o admit that. She continued, "Well it's my theory that he wanted us out of the way so that he could regain chaos over Equestria. So sending us as far from the Elements of Harmony as possible seemed like his best option."

"Wait a minute. Elements of Harmony?"

"Powerful gems that symbolise each of our strengths." She explained, "And together they're powerful enough to stop creatures like Discord. So that would explain why we're here. Instead of sending the elements away like last time, he's keeping them close and sending us away instead. Apparently to another world sounded fun to him at the time."

I stopped myself from mentioning that these Elements couldn't be that powerful if they've faced this guy before and he still came back and instead rolled my eyes, "Sounds like a great guy."

"He has a, oh how do I put this?" Rarity pondered, "A _unique_ sense of humour."

I'm guessing that was her nice way of putting it. Twilight rolled her eyes as if recalling something of the past, "Yes… But I can't understand why we would have ended up like this." She looked down at her smaller stature in confusion, "Of course we don't naturally belong in this world… so the magic must have searched for the most compatible copy to latch on to so that we could pass over. So figures of us must have been the best match."

Magic… Was I really surprised? Nope, not really, "Seems legit." It really didn't but it was getting late, I was tired and let's face it, it had been a long day… "Well now you have an idea of what happened so… can you go back now?"

"You think we wouldn't have by now if we could?" Rainbow Dash asked sceptically.

She had a point there. Twilight furrowed her brow, "I might be able to figure out what kind of spell Discord used and mimic it. But it might take some time. And even then if I figure it out there's no saying is I'll be able to perfect it. If I don't get it right then we might end up somewhere worse. Oh, no offence."

"None taken." I muttered grudgingly.

"There a lot of _if's_ and _might's_ in there." Rarity noted anxiously.

Pinkie grinned good naturedly, "A lot of words in general really so some are bound to get repeated but it still makes some sense, unless you repeat the same things over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and-" she took a large breath and chuckled, "See then it just doesn't make sense at all really."

"We have faith in ya, Twilight." Applejack reassured, putting a hoof on her friends shoulder.

"Yeah!" Dash nodded triumphantly, "Discord has nothing on us!"

As 'touching' as all of this was, it still wasn't exactly getting any of us anywhere. I didn't believe in magic, no matter how ironic that statement was it was true. I was a 'seeing is believing' kind of person, and although six fictional ponies were sitting before me, I hadn't actually s_een_ any magic to believe in. Sometimes the aftermath of something doesn't explain or act as proof for the thing itself if you catch my drift. Or maybe I was just trying to cling to whatever sanity I thought I had left.

"I'm sorry, you said something about it taking a while?" I urged, my own anxiousness expanding.

Twilight didn't look happy about it either, "Well, you see magic and spells aren't that simple. They take research and practice even when I _do _know the spell I'm performing. This time I have no idea what one he used so it will take a while longer."

"And what do you plan on doing until then?" I asked, already receiving the answer by their innocently hopeful expressions. Oh crap they're weren't serious…? Yup, apparently they were. Frigging perfect.

No, I couldn't let them stay here. Now I know that it looks like I'm not being fair. But think about it. I don't know them; I don't like the show so I wouldn't have a single clue about how to deal with them. Hell even without the show's knowledge I wouldn't have a clue! This isn't normal or something I have to deal with right now. Long story short, this was not my fight and I did not want or have to be dragged into it. Besides, they could handle themselves, right? They had 'magic' or whatever. What problems can't be solved when you have that? Okay, I'm scoffing, but can you blame me?

But… they didn't belong here. Leaving meant they were at the mercy of the outside world. They'd either be held hostage by some crazed fan or taken for testing in Area 51 or something like that. And then knowing my luck they'd sell me out and then that'd be a whole other kind of crap that I'd have to deal with. And what if that Discord guy shows up here too? To be honest it looked like there was no way anyone was getting out of this without some kind of trouble brewing. It was just a matter of picking the one that caused less of it.

Option one: let them stay here and put up with whatever weirdness was bound to follow. Option two: kick them out and most likely get pulled into questioning if and when they get discovered. Great, looks like my hands are tied. I just wanted a peaceful week on my own! Give me a break!

"Five days." I said, pointing a finger for emphasis, "You can stay for five days because that's when my brother comes back. If you haven't found anything by then, you're on your own."

The way Pinkie beamed at me you would have thought that I'd told them that I'd decorated private rooms for each of them, "You mean we get _five_ whole slumber parties? In a _row_? Best week ever! Can we have pillow fights? I'm champion at pillow fights! Oh or maybe watch movies! Or-"

"Thank you, Freya." Twilight interrupted, "We do really appreciate this."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Personally I think we'd be better off alone." she muttered.

I was about to tell her that she was welcome to carry out that opinion, but bit my tongue. It wasn't going to get me anywhere and frankly I just wanted to get some sleep and pretend that this day never happened, "Sure… You can stay in my brother's room for now I guess." I shrugged, thinking that the double bed would fit them all, "Look this has all been a bit much to take in so I'm going to bed."

"Already?" Pinkie asked, shoulders slumping, "But we haven't had a welcome party yet."

Oh god help me, "I don't do parties. And today has kind of tired me out so even if I did I wouldn't be involved for long."

"We understand, sugar-cube, I think it's best we all hit the hay so we're ready to start work tomorrow."

Hit the hay? Was that a real phrase or a pony thing? Rarity nodded, "I completely agree; we need our beauty sleep after all."

"I don't think _that's_ what she meant." Dash scowled.

Head spinning… I didn't have the energy to answer anymore, so instead I ran a hand through my hair tiredly and pointed over to the stairs with my free hand. They seemed to get the message and trotted over, Pinkie bounced from step to step with a grin on her face. Because of their size, it was a bit more of a struggle, but they seemed to be managing pretty well. I felt guilty being so blunt and even irritable with them, after all from what I heard it wasn't their fault. They didn't ask for this. But… I just didn't understand. And I didn't work well with things I didn't understand.

The sounds of the door opening upstairs gave me the indication that they'd found the right room. That was my signal to head to bed myself. How knows, maybe by the time I wake up things will be a little clearer. I pushed myself from the table groggily and turned to make my way up to my makeshift bedroom. However the minute I'd reached the hallway, I saw that one of the creatures had been left behind. Not intentionally I figured, but all the same. The yellow one with the pink mane still looked timid as she struggled up the stairs, and to be honest it kind of broke my heart. She was so small and scared and she had barely said a single word since us meeting.

I still felt guilty from my attitude earlier, so I figured I'd try and make up for it now, "Sorry," I said lightly, "I don't think I caught your name earlier."

Her eyes widened as if the question was terrifying to her, suddenly frozen half-way between steps, "Mmm, I-… I'm…"

"Hey it's okay," I reassured, crouching down to sit on the step beside her so that I wasn't towering over her so much, "Still scared?"

A feeble nod, "Little..." She said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah, me too." I admitted, "But we'll get you home, I promise." I can't promise it of course but I wanted it to be true. Who didn't?

"Oh, oh it's n-not that I-I'm scared of."

Oh hell… "Me?"

"Oh goodness no, not anymore anyway." She said, voice a little louder this time in reassurance, "It's Discord. He c-could be anywhere and I-I-"

"Hey," I interjected softly, "I may not know much about this guy, but I know that he's not going to touch any of you."

"H-how do you know that?"

I didn't, but I'd be damned if I admitted that aloud, "Sometimes you just know." I waited as she gave the smallest hint of a smile before asking another question. And to be honest I'd wanted to ask this since I first saw her desperately clambering up the staircase, "If it's alright to ask… How come you're not _flying_ upstairs?"

At that moment I figured out that ponies could blush, "Oh, I, um… I'm not really comfortable flying unless I have to."

She was a weak flyer? It would be pitiful if it wasn't kind of sweet, "Do you, uh, need a hand?"

The offer made both of us cringe, but she took me by surprise when she nodded silently and steadied herself. Oh, she accepted? She really trusted me so easily? What now? Did I just scoop her up like a toddler or… What? I moved my left arm so that it was curved under her stomach, and used my right so that it wrapped around her side so that she was secured and then slowly lifted her up. Instinctively she curled into herself. It was like carrying a puppy really, small soft and unsure. This was so weird, I really didn't want to get used to this. I tried to make my steps gently but quick so that neither of us had to put up with this for much longer. When I got to the top step, I set her down and straightened up.

"There you go." I said with accidental bluntness. Again.

"Th-thank you." She muttered, "Fluttershy…"

"Pardon?"

She cowered sheepishly, but not fearfully, "M-my name is Fluttershy."

"Oh, right. Well, goodnight, Fluttershy."

"Goodnight, Freya."

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash peeked her head around the door, "There you are!"

"I'm coming." She nodded, tottering over, "I-I was just saying goodnight."

Those cynical eyes narrowed on me quizzically, so I returned the gesture with a sarcastic wave. She didn't like or trust me and that was fine by me. Neither of us were going to have to put up with each other for long hopefully, so let her think of me what she likes. I waited for the two to vanish with the others, the door left open ajar, before heading to my own room and collapsing on the bed without even putting my pyjamas on.

I figured there and then that I would either wake up and it all be some wacked out dream; or I really was insane and would have to make sense of this all over again. Whichever one it turned out to be, I really wasn't ready for it.

**A/N:**

**Please don't hate Freya; she doesn't understand what's going on and that makes her scared. She doesn't do conflict and doesn't want to get involved in a fight that isn't hers. But as you can see, she does have a soft spot XD Keep reviewing guys, reviews = motivation = chapters XD Thanks again everypony!**


	4. Making an Effort

**A/N:**

**Warning: this is mostly a filler chapter where Freya is learning to get used to the six and trying to understand what is going on. But it's still a good-ish read and was a lot of fun to write XD**

And this is the part where I open my eyes and find that it was all a dream, right? Please be right. Please! I peeked my eyes open ever so carefully, and just saw the plain wall of the spare room looking back at me. Okay, so far so good. Next was to investigate the rest of the house. This actually brings about a good point. If the house turned out to be empty, would I be relived at the strange and detailed dream/hallucination was just that? Or would I be just as freaked out and start booking myself an appointment with the next psychology consultant? Well it looks like we're going to find out.

I peered my head around the doorframe as I exited the bedroom. Okay, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary so far. But what about the busted spare room door? Slowly, I made my way down the corridor, not daring to look away from the floor until I was a good two feet from the doorway. Oh. It was fixed. Seriously? How could the door be up and back in place, yesterday it was on the floor with massive splinters smashed out of it. And yet here it was. Does this mean that it really was all a dream? Wow… Okay I'm cool with that!

Just to make sure, or maybe because I was a glutton for punishment, I figured that I'd try opening the door again. I guessed that I knew it was going to be locked still, but something just told me to try. Anxiously, my hand closed around the handle, turning it slowly and giving a sharp tug. A yelp of surprise and panic escaped me at the woodwork groaned unnaturally, giving way under the pressure and tilting away from the hinges and towards me threateningly. Instinctively I jumped backwards and raised my arms over my head in preparation for impact.

Yet, nothing happened. I peeked through the gap in my arms and practically felt my jaw hit the floor at the sight before me. The door was still angled as if it was falling, but put on pause. A faint purple glow surrounding it, little flecks of glitter clinging to it lightly. What the-?

"Ahehe, sorry about that." A sheepish voice said behind me, making me jump again, "Some new hinges and it'll be just like new."

Oh god they're real…

A tiny purple unicorn trotted past my knees, her horn glowing in the same manner as the door. Twilight narrowed her eyes in concentration and the door slotted back into its frame. The glow around her horn extinguished, as did the one swarming the door, "How…? How can you do that?"

"Oh, well all unicorns can use some sort of magic."

Magic, they're using that old nutshell? Well I didn't believe in it; but the glowing door had still shaken me, "And how does that work?" Let me guess, it was a _special_ feeling you got inside that made you feel all fuzzy? Yes that was sarcasm, I can't help it, it's my go-to defence when I didn't understand something.

She looked pleased at being questioned, like she was happy to pass on knowledge from one person to another, "Well, although magic is in fact something you're born with, it takes years of studying to control and perfect. Once you master the technique, it because easier to expand on things you already know in order to learn more. It really is fascinating; I'm a student of the Princess, you know."

Wow, well that put me in my place didn't it. "Student? Well you've mastered door-lifting, what are you studying at the moment."

"Oh studying can never be limited to just one topic!" she scoffed, "I learn what I can, when I can. Although if you're asking about my priority, then the Princess has me on a special mission to uncover the magic of friendship."

Now it was my turn to scoff, "Magic of friendship?"

She looked like she was about to go into another long-winded explanation, but stopped and arched an eyebrow in a playful twist of questioning, "You don't believe a word I'm saying, do you?"

I had to admit, I was happily taken back by her joking nature to it, "Well, it's not that I don't believe you because I'm sure where you're from that's normal. Let's say instead that I'm _sceptical_."

"Uh-huh." She smirked up at me, poking her chest out proudly, "Well I take it as a personal challenge to show you that magic is real; I'm not studying it for nothing you know."

"You don't have to prove anything to me." I assured, "And shouldn't you be focussing on getting yourselves home?"

"And that's exactly how I'm going to prove it." Her ears drooped backwards a little sheepishly, "As soon as I figure it out, that is. But I really think I'm onto something. I was thinking it over all night!"

"Well good luck to you." I looked down at her sincerely, "And don't take it personal about be not believing you. It's just that in this world things tend to circulate around science."

"Well magic is a form of science. It still has to be studied and practiced like anything else. How else do you explain my levitating the door?"

I thought about it before coming up with the first crappy explanation I could think of, "I'm gonna say your horn has some magnetic quality to it and when you aimed it at the door, naturally it repelled."

She nodded in the pretence of thought, "Not a bad explanation, but I have one little problem with it."

"And that is?"

She smiled smugly and trotted past my knees and along the corridor as if to signify her next comment was going to be enough to stop the debate. I can't fault her confidence I guess, "_Wooden_ doors aren't affected by magnets."

That… was an excellent point… Damn.

* * *

After that little exchange, I went back into my room to get dressed and just accept that my mind or life was going in a downward spiral. I just hadn't decided which one it was yet. By the sounds of it, the other ponies were downstairs and raiding the kitchen. Fine by me. As far as I could remember, there was plenty of variety for them, it's a good thing Nate had stocked up before leaving. To be honest I was a little hungry myself. So as soon as I was ready, I started to make my way towards the stairs, when I heard and irritable huff from Nate's room. Morbid curiosity got the better of me. And so I went inside.

Rainbow Dash was standing on the window-sill, looking almost longingly at the outside world. I didn't blame her, although the sky was littered with thick clouds, occasionally the sun clawed through, leaving the feeling of a warm blanket on my skin. It was the kind of day where although it wasn't right to go to the beach or something like that, it was definitely an outdoor day. For most of us anyway. I figured that I may as well make some conversation. I know what she didn't trust me and I hadn't really helped with my displeasure of having them around. But that didn't mean I was going to ignore them for the sake of it.

"Hi." I said simply.

She turned to glance over at me before returning to the outside view, "Hey."

"Did you sleep alright?"

"I guess. It could have been better."

Despite her tone, I had to agree, "Twilight said that she thinks she's onto something, so don't worry."

"Hey! I am _not_ worried. If anyone should be worried, it's Discord!" her wings twitched as if it was causing her great annoyance to keep them folded for so long, "Like you care."

Either walk away or chance the topic, Freya, pick one, "Let's get something straight, it's not that I don't care. It's just that this isn't my fight."

Her eyes narrowed on my questioningly, "What if a fight is just what you need?"

I didn't know if she was meaning in general, or with her personally, so I scoffed, "Are you challenging me?"

"Pfft, like you could handle someone as cool as me." She smirked.

"Oh she's modest as well." I sniggered and I swear she actually laughed a little at that one. But quickly covered it up with clearing her throat and looking back out of the window. Well I guess that counted as almost getting along, "You don't like me very much do you?"

"I don't _know_ you, and all of a sudden the others are saying how much we need your help. Now I'll stand by them no matter what, but that doesn't mean I have to agree."

"I don't think you need me either, I can't do anything to help."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed pointedly.

I rolled my eyes and noticed that she was looking at the sky, "See something you like?"

Her teeth gritted as she took to the air, hovering closer to the window, "I can't stand this! How is everypony so happy to just sit here?"

"Because they don't want to get caught out. Why do you want to go outside so much anyway?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm a racer. The _best_ racer. I can't just sit inside for days on end with no flying! You may as well take my wings!"

Drama queen… "To be honest, it's not like you'd have anyone to race here."

She huffed, folding her front legs, "I know…"

I didn't pity her, but I did understand what she was going through. From what she'd described, she was having a severe case of cabin fever. If I was going to be putting up with this mess for the next few days, I wanted it to go smoothly. And if that meant swallowing my pride and offering a temporary truce, then I suppose I could. Just this once. I ducked past her and peered out of the window, making sure that the coast was clear before opening the latch and sliding the window wide open. Soft, warm air drifted in as I folded my arms and smirked triumphantly.

"Go straight up until you're above the clouds and be back in twenty minutes."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard."

She arched an eyebrow, edging closer to the outside, breathing in the fresh air greedily. Holding back a grin, she looked at me sceptically, "Are you trying to bribe me into being your friend or something?"

I actually laughed good-naturedly, "Don't flatter yourself. Twenty minutes remember, and no getting seen. Think of it as a challenge." I shrugged, "Now take off before I change my mind."

"Awesome!" she cried.

She leaped into the air, shooting like a bullet directly upwards with such speed that I winced as a gust of wind was blown right back in my face and sending my hair whipping around my head. Wow, she really was fast. I leant out of the window and tilted my head upwards just in time to see her shrink into the clouds.

A chuckle behind me made me turn to see Applejack leaning against the door, "She sure does like to show off, huh?"

I rolled my eyes, "That's one way of describing her… I'm guessing you have to put up with this a lot."

"Now she can be a hoof-full at times, but her hearts in the right place." Hoof-full, seriously? "Speakin' of which, I'd just like to say again how thankful we are for lettin' us stay here."

Again with the thanking, it just made me uncomfortable, "Uh, forget about it."

She shook her head in pretence exasperation and cocked her head over her shoulder, "Come on, the others are a'waiting for ya."

"Why?"

"Can't have lunch without our host now can we." She grinned.

What? "Lunch?"

A chuckle, "It's gone noon, you're one hay of a sleeper, sugar-cube."

* * *

I didn't like this. It was just too weird. Ponies were standing on the chairs at the dinner-table and eating from plates like any other human would. How the hell can they use cutlery in the first place? This is going to be one of those 'you're just going to have to go with it' moments, right? Alright, if it makes the ride any smoother then fine. But it still didn't make sense.

Hunger hadn't lasted as long as I thought. So I found myself shrinking into my seat and listening to the conversation around me. I really wasn't any help and never could be. But I have to admit it was pretty strange hearing all of this. More magic and stuff. More nonsense. But that's just me.

"Any luck with the spell, Twilight?" Rarity asked, using a napkin to dap her mouth delicately.

"I'm starting to get a basic idea, but I can't say anything definite just yet."

Pinkie giggled, "You just did, silly. Anything Definite. See, I said it too."

"I don't think that's quite what she meant."

The hyperactive one rolled her eyes, "I know that, Rarity."

Fluttershy smiled at the exchange softly, taking a glass of water between her hoofs and taking a sip, "I'm sure things will come together soon."

I tilted my head, curiosity getting the better of me, "How do you even research this stuff? I don't remember you bringing any books with you or anything."

Twilight nodded, "That's true. But you see I've been thinking over all the spells I've learnt in the past and creating possible combinations. I've yet to test them out of course."

Uh-huh… She really wasn't selling to be that magic was real. It still sounded like a bunch of-

"Uh, somepony had better open a window, we got company." Applejack advised suddenly, looking anxiously out through the window.

I followed her gaze and blinked in surprise. In the distance just among the clouds, and approaching rapidly, was a small little spot of blue. What the hell was… Oh you've got to be kidding me. As it got closer, the small features could be made out, mainly rainbow patterned streaks here and there. Jeez, she wasn't kidding when she said that she was a racer. But, she did know how to stop right? Because it sure didn't look like she was going to do so anytime soon, and she was running out of track. My hands fumbled with the window latch, desperately trying to force it open. Nate would kill me if he comes back and there's a smashed window waiting for him. Come on you stupid thing, open! Yes!

"Whoa!"

"Ow!"

The minute the window opened, it was like a rock was thrown right into my stomach, sending me knocked backwards and tripping. The world turned upside down and somehow I ended up on the floor with my back smacked against the far wall, the wind knocked right out of my. I coughed, gasping at the air to try and regain my senses. Something shifted on my lap. Gathering the energy to move my head, my eyes travel down to see the little cannon-ball herself getting to her hooves and stepping to the floor. She shook her head and beamed excitably, taking to the air once more.

"Touch-down!" Pinkie exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.

"That. Was. _Awesome!_ The air is so wild out here and the clouds don't vanish when you hit them! Much more challenging for someone of my skills." Rainbow Dash boasted, finally looking at me confidently, "You've just earned five percent more cool points."

Still seeing stars, I gave her a sarcastic arch of an eyebrow, "Is that a compliment?"

She rolled her eyes and set herself down again, trotting across the room proudly, "Don't get too excited, five percent isn't that much."

"Oh my," Fluttershy muttered, hoping down from her seat to peer carefully at my side, even with me sitting on the floor she only just reached my shoulders, "A-are you alright, Freya?"

"Yeah I'm-Whoa okay!" I jolted as something gave me a sharp but good-natured push on the shoulder, and it turned out to be Pinkie trying to nudge me to my feet with her front legs.

"Upsie-daisy!"

I brushed myself off, "Yeah… thanks."

I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to put up with this. The random explanations for things that I didn't believe in, the overdoses of positive energy that in theory were not needed, all of it. But… I had an idea. I remembered that in the spare room with all of the merchandise in, there were DVD's of the show. Maybe if Twilight was capable of making mental research, maybe I could do the same in order to prepare myself for what might happen over the next few days. And knowing this bunch, it could be anything. Plus I wanted to find out a little more about this Discord guy.

So it was settled. I would just have to wait until the others were asleep before getting out the episodes. The last thing I needed was an ego trip from Dash or Rarity, or an excitement overload from Pinkie, and to be honest I think it would just freak the others out. Oh hell I didn't want to do this… the how was for kids! But, if I wanted any understanding, I'd have to bite the bullet. Looks like tonight I was going to have a Pony marathon… God help me…

**A/N:**

**Like I said, just a filler chapter for now. But I promise that the next chapter will be a little… 'chaotic' XD Thanks for all the support guys, you're awesome! Keep it coming! XD**


	5. Chaotic Offer

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the wait! Well, here's the one you've been waiting for! Let's meet our villain shall we? XD**

Oh my god my eyes! They're burning! So many bright colours… I had waited until the six had fallen asleep before sneaking into the other spare room and gathering the DVD's. And now here I was, sitting back on my bed with my laptop on my crossed legs and headphones in, battling my way through the episodes. I'd made it to the eleventh episode. Fricking Winter Wrap Up… It was going to take me forever to get the damn song out of my head! Seriously! What sane person could find this fun? For starters the characters were just as weirdly optimistic as they were here, the colours were so bright my eyes were burning and if I ever have to go through a random musical moment like they do in some episodes then they're out. I didn't care about the deal, they will be out.

Okay, now some of you might thing that I'm being a little harsh, and I can see why. But I was stressed out. Seeing the six in the show like this just made the whole thing so much more real. Or… less real. I don't know okay, it was just too bizarre. And it wasn't helping me understand any better either. I guess I was just sick of things not making sense. I thought that watching the show would give me answers. But instead it just gave me a migraine. And Discord wasn't even in any of these episodes so that was a waste of time! I just wanted some normality back.

But in some weird way, I was learning something from these episodes. Like personality quirks the six had. And I had a better idea of how their interpretation of magic worked. Twilight was right, it was kind of like a subject to be studied. But that didn't mean I was starting to believe in it. It was just an observation. And throughout all of this, there was not a single thing mentioned about humans. Which just made me more confused, how can they be transported to a human world if they didn't even know one existed? What am I talking about? Maybe it's their world that isn't real and they really did just come out of the show? But does that make sense? None of this makes sense! Well… onto the next episode. Maybe that one would be able to make heads or tails of this.

"Frustrating, I take it?"

"You have no idea."

I froze. Why did I just answer a question from someone when I was alone? Barely breathing, I moved my head ever so slowly to the right. I didn't know what to expect, but the sight of two yellow eyes, scarlet pupils focussed smugly on me, was something that had never even crossed my mind. A silent yelp escaped me as I jumped away, tumbling right off of the bed and scuttling back against the wall. What the hell was that thing?

Whatever it was, it was chuckling cruelly at me. At first I thought it was another of the ponies judging by its head, but the mismatched horns and single tooth producing sharply over its mouth told me otherwise. A long body coiled snake-like in the air, front arms, one seemingly from a lion and the other a bird talon, folded on the mattress, arching an eyebrow at me condescendingly. Oh crap it had wings… And more mismatched legs. Was that a dragon tail? What the hell was this?

It glanced over at the laptop and smirked as the next episode started to play on in silence, "Such a drab little performance, I'm surprised you can put up with it for so long."

I swallowed the fearful lump in my throat and forced the words out, "What… _Who_ are you?"

He looked up at me casually, pausing a moment before pouting mockingly, "Me? Oh I'm just a lost little creature looking for some help."

It hadn't attacked me yet, I took that as a good sign, "You don't look lost to me," My eyes glanced over his slender body, I bet if he stood upright he'd be over a foot taller than me, "Or little either."

"You're not exactly petite yourself." He shrugged, rising into the air a few more feet as if to try and intimidate me with as little effort as possible.

The cheeky son of a… My eyes narrowed and considering what had been going on over the past few days, my next statement seemed to fit, "You wouldn't happen to be Discord, would you?"

"I don't _happen_ to be Discord; I _am_ Discord." He corrected, slithering over to poke my nose harshly, "And you're confused, irritable Freya. Quite the mess you've come across here."

"More like the mess you've thrown on me." I returned, brushing the feeling from my nose with the back of my sleeve as I stood up, "How do you know my name?"

"It's a gift."

This thing was just getting on my nerves, "Yeah from what I've heard you've got a lot of gifts. Like jumping out of a kids show, or turning plushie dolls into living things! Just tell me, how does that work?"

He gave me a look as if he was somewhat disappointed at my bluntness. Well too bad for him, I'd been wanting to get some answers and if this was the supposed guy who could give them then like hell was I beating around the bush. He eyed me quizzically, "Awe what's the matter? Not having fun with your new friends?"

"Don't patronise me." I snapped. My eyes darted to the closed door. The others were only in the room next door. And by the sound of it they knew how to beat this guy. Let's face it, I didn't know what I was doing! If I just yelled loud enough, or even managed to make it to the door, this could all be over a heck of a lot faster.

I opened my mouth and took a breath, ready to yell and make a run for it. But no sooner had I inhaled and taken one step forward, I probably experienced the freakiest thing yet. Discord gave me a pretence look of pity before casually snapping his fingers with his lionesque paw. Instantly the air caught in my throat and my lips pressed together painfully. My eyes widened as I tried to yell but the words became mumbled in my mouth. My mouth wouldn't open! Why the hell couldn't I open my mouth? My fingers brushed against my lips only to discover they were coated in a cold, uneven layer. I looked in the mirror that was hanging by the door and if I could scream then I would have. My mouth had gone, and in its place was a thick zipper.

Discord yawned, peering over my shoulder to look at my face in the reflection, "Such a cliché, but a classic nonetheless. Oh and for the record, my dear, I'm not patronising you. Well actually I am, but that's more how I roll rather than being personal. Come to think of it, I'm here for your help."

His eagle talon pinched the zipper tag and yanked it open, allowing me to speak once more. Still in shock, I covered my mouth with my hand as I spoke for good measure, "Help? Why should I help you? You're the one who caused this mess! Speaking of which, what did you actually do? And why?"

Again, he looked annoyed at my bluntness, but also seemed highly entertained that I still had not uncovered my mouth, "I was sick of them interfering with my beautiful chaos. And finally chose to do something that would put a stop to it permanently. I sent them here along with the elements so that even if they _did_ find them, they still would not be able to use them in a world where magic doesn't exist. Just for my own personal satisfaction really." He shrugged. I was about to tell him that he was wrong about the six not being able to use magic, because I'd seen Twilight use it earlier that day, but Discord quickly continued, "However, it's come to my attention that unless I have the elements with _me_, my chaos is not permanent. It's one of Celestia's irritating little tricks to keep order… Quite pitiful really."

So, he sent everything of power to this world so that his power could continue; yet without said power to balance his, he was unstable in his own comfort zone. My hand lowered, "Why are you admitting all of this to me?"

"Didn't you ask?"

"Yeah, but … Never mind." Now it was my turn to smirk, "So basically, you messed up big time."

No sooner had the words left my lips did I feel the cold slap of the zipper fusing to my mouth once more. He folded his arms in an authorative stance, "Normally I respect a little sass but with you, my dear, it's becoming quite the annoying quirk." He pouted mockingly and pinched my cheek, talking to me like a toddler, "Now are you going to listen to what the grown up has to say?"

I shook him away and glared, giving a curt nod in answer. He snapped his fingers and the metal vanished, "Like you give me a choice…"

"Good girl." He nodded, backing up a little, "Now, like I said, I'm in need of some assistance. You see, I need my elements back, and that means those pony-brats have to find them if they're going to be in working order when I get them-"

I refused to be his lacky! "Well why don't you just take them with you, huh? And by the sounds of it they've been wanting to get a hold of you."

"Oh I know _so_ much about them, it's true. But alas, I cannot touch them in this world. It seems that I can't affect _anything_ that's passed from my world to this unless it's in the state it was _before_ leaving."

"English please…"

His shoulders slumped, "Basically, if they're not back to their previous size and I have the elements in hand, so to speak, then I can't take them back or do anything else to them."

"How does that make any sense whatsoever?"

He smirked, knocking under my chin none too gently with his paw, "Something you'll learn very quickly about me, my dear, and that it that I make perfect sense when there is no sense at all."

"What?"

"Exactly."

The whole conversation was starting to make my head spin, "Look, I can't help you, okay? You're just going to have to get someone else to do your dirty work."

"But that's exactly why you must agree." He yawned, "Because you don't want to."

I was about to argue, but arched an eyebrow instead, "This is one of those _no sense making sense_ things, isn't it?"

He applauded, "Oh look, you're learning already."

"Great… So, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"Oh just keep an eye on them for now… and when you have the elements for me I'll be more than happy to take them off your hands. You can go back to your sense-filled boring life and that'll be the end of it."

"And you can't do that now because…?"

"I've already explained that I can't touch them unless I have the elements." He muttered grudgingly, but covered it with a dark smile creping onto his face, "And because I'm such a nice person, I'll give you a hint as to where they are." He used his wings to circle me, "_To get the life you once had before, just listen to these riddles I have in store:_"

"Rhyming? Are you kidding me?"

"_Generosity speaks for itself, it'll be found when one is deprived of self help._" He continued as if I hadn't said anything, "_You'll show Kindness in bringing the elements to me, but to get this one don't ignore the suffering you see. Laughter you see is a favourite of mine, so don't expect it to appear at the expected time. Honesty will come, when the trait is spoken at a cause of mine and accepted in all in good time. And when a situation is most dark, you'll find magic when a stranger feels The Spark._"

I listened to each of his words carefully, and did not understand a single one of them, "Is that supposed to help me in some way? And will you stop circling me, I'm getting dizzy!"

Discord laughed and just to spite me continued to loop me twice before rising back into the air in front of me, "Oh it's not that difficult to figure out really."

"Then why not get them yourself?"

"Oh but where's the fun in that?" he asked. I swear I only blinked and he had vanished from sight; there was a sudden weight on my right shoulder and I flinched to find him leaning on it passively, "Really my dear your lack for a sense of adventure is quite depressing."

I ducked away from him where he kept his position as if still leaning on something in mid-air, "Maybe I just like things being how they should. And this is destroying any hope of that, thanks very much. But seriously, why me and why here? How come the ponies came from toys but you didn't?"

"So many questions for someone who doesn't want to be involved. Oh I suppose I'll give you _some_ answers considering I'm on such a roll at being helpful." He mocked, rolling his eyes with a dry smirk, "For starters, do not flatter yourself. I just sent those interfering ponies here and they morphed from whatever physical match was closest. Lucky you! And I came here of my own accord, so why change perfection?"

If that's perfect, I'm happy being weird. I remembered that Twilight had mentioned something like that, about locking on to what matched their form and that's why the plushie was the best choice. Wow, that girl really knew her stuff… But what did he mean 'closest'? We were a whole world apart for gods sake! "But… you're all from a cartoon. A T.V show! How can your world be a real thing?"

"Ah-ah, you've asked your questions and I've answered them, you'll get more chances when you start completing our deal. Bring me the elements, and I'll bring you answers."

"That's not part of the deal!" I hesitated, raising my index finger pointedly, "Wait, we didn't even _make_ a deal!"

"Oh I thought it was quite clear, my dear, you bring me the elements and I'll take the pony brats off of your hands. It shouldn't be that hard, after all you've been so accommodating to them this far."

"This isn't my fight or my problem! I shouldn't have to be dragged into this!"

"And yet you'll allow it anyway just to get some peace and quiet, am I right?"

I hated that he was, "But… what's stopping me from telling _them_ all of this? Then they'll get the elements themselves and you'll be suck! That's how it works, right?"

"I admire your faith considering you don't believe in any of this. And I do recall you saying something about this not being your fight." He sneered, "You're not telling them anything and we both know it. I'll be back later, and I'll expect at least two elements from you."

"Hey wait!" I called as he started to slither in the air towards the open window, "How much later?"

"Only time will tell, my dear!" he returned with a wicked chuckle, vanishing into thin air before my eyes.

My mouth hung open. That cheating little… whatever he was! I didn't know what to do. If I agreed, then I get my life back and it'll be like none of this ever happened. But then the ponies will be with Discord… But isn't that a good thing? I mean, they've been wanting to get to him since arriving here! And they'll have the elements or whatever nearby, so that's good, right? Maybe? I didn't know! To be honest, this guy didn't seem dangerous, just full of parlour tricks and annoying mind games. They could handle him, right? Apparently they've done it before. Yeah… They could take him on easy! And I get some normality back, so we all win, right?

Okay, Discord, I'll play your game. You get the elements, the ponies will get you, and I'll have my life back. Your riddles don't scare me. What could go wrong?

**A/N:**

**So many things, Freya, so many things! This is Discord for goodness sake, he knows how to play people! So, how about them riddles huh? Please tell me how I did at managing Discord, it's my first time writing for him, I hope I did him justice. XD**


	6. More than Enough

**A/N:**

**Wow a really long wait for this one, sorry everypony! I'll blame Discord… XD**

When I awoke that morning after a restless night, I mean come on who would have slept after the sudden introduction I'd had, I thought I'd just lay there in hopes of collecting my thoughts… What I got instead was a white mini-unicorn using the same glowing horn tricks as Twilight, but this time levitating my clothes from my suitcase and putting them in some sort of order before her, "Uh…"

Rarity turned to acknowledge me, "Good morning! You really should store these clothes properly, darling, they've become terrible rumpled."

Normally I have a rule. If I look away from something in less than five seconds, than I can deny ever seeing it. Five seconds come and gone, I can't deny it. I saw it. She was making my clothes float, "Uh…" snap out of it! "I'm only here for a week so I didn't really see the point in unpacking properly. And I didn't plan on going anywhere so it's not like people are going to see what I'm dressed in."

"Oh but you never know when you'll need to look your best." She insisted, using that -I refuse to call it magic- glowing illusion to fold my clothes neatly. However she kept two tops, a black one with a sequin skull on the front, and a plain navy shirt. She paused in thought, but then refolded them and shook her head, "No I couldn't!"

"Couldn't what?" I asked, pushing myself out of bed and trying to tame my bed-curled hair.

"Well, I was wondering…" she looked up at me, lifting a front leg to put over her heart, "You see I'm a seamstress by trade, along with fashion guru and style icon naturally but that's getting off track." I nodded, trying not to be sarcastic with it. She continued, "And I'd _hate_ to become out of practice from being away so long and-"

"And you want to make something pretty out of my drab clothes?" I finished, adding the adjective for effect. Looks like I'm not good at hiding sarcasm after all.

Rarity straightened a little, "Drab is not quite the word I would have used but if you insist." Well isn't that charming… "I know it's terrible to ask but-"

Oh don't guilt trip me! I mentally begged. Peace and quiet, that's all I wanted. I just wanted to think for a moment… You know what? Why not, anything to stop her giving excuses, "Sure go ahead." I sighed.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. I don't wear them often anyway," I lied, "Go see if you can wrestle Dash into a dress or something."

She smiled knowingly, "I doubt it would fit her for long even if I do manage to get her into it. We're not staying this petite for long, you know."

"That's what I'm hoping." I shrugged, "But…" For some reason I felt that I owed her for the snarky attitude, "If you want to keep in practice with your… whatever you do, just take what you need."

The look of surprise, "Are you quite sure? According to the others I tend to get a bit carried away."

"Seriously, it's fine. There's another top in there, yeah the blue one, if you run out."

"Really, darling this is too much." She insisted, but the eager glint in her eye told me she wasn't refusing.

"Go ahead, before I change my mind." I warned half-jokingly, not really wanting to part with my clothes but still wanting an easy life…

I swear to god she actually squealed. Ponies can squeal, who knew. I'm sure there was a 'thank you' in there somewhere as she tossed the clothes over her back and trotted out of the room, darting between my legs in the process. The minute she left, I had to slump back down on the bed in thought. I hadn't slept at all that night. Discord had really freaked me out. But I'm sure that a creature made up of pretty much any animal you can think of sneaking into your room and making deals would freak anyone out. Just like he predicted, I hadn't told the ponies about what had happened. I just needed to think!

* * *

After a few isolated hours of thought, I'd managed to put together some sort of reasoning to my logic. I was sitting on the sofa downstairs, munching on my food as I ran it over in my mind. The offer was too enticing, simply put. If I get all of those element things, then he can send everyone home. To be fair, it really was a win-win. I get my life back, they all go home and if the elements are with the six then they'd be okay, right? I mean I know that technically Discord would have the elements, but they'd be close so surely that was good enough? To be honest I had no clue. But they'd be back where they belong and I'd be getting things back to normal here. So I was going for it. Even if that meant making a deal with the bad guy.

But that started me thinking about the elements. How the hell was I meant to find them? That riddle didn't make any sense whatsoever. And I didn't think that I could remember most of it. Personally, Discord spoke to fast and barely said a thing, two traits that were hardly ever a good sign. I know, no kidding, right? But I had to think back, what did he say? Something about generosity first I think, or was it honesty? And something about helping others? Hell this was starting to sound like some cheap moral tale you'd find in some kids cartoon and- Oh god the irony! Are you frigging kidding me?

I almost groaned aloud as I started on the dishes, earning a curious glance from Rainbow Dash as she timed herself racing from one end of the room to the other, Fluttershy giving meek little cheers from the corner. This was so stupid. Discord was playing with me! I bet he knew exactly how to get the elements and was just using me as a toy so that his little screw up more entertaining. Well don't I feel special…

Suddenly the water burst upwards and into my face, showering me with suds, "Why the grumpy face?"

I blinked and spluttered the water away over the cheerily put question. When I could finally see again, Pinkie was sitting in the sink, fitting perfectly in her smaller size. I stared, five seconds gone. Another thing I can't deny, "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Well that's a _long_ story, bit if you mean how did I get here as in right here right now then that kind of goes back to the problem we had before about sending us back."

"I meant the sink!"

"Well I don't know how the sink got here!" she giggled.

I give up… "Fair enough."

"So, what's wrong? You got the pouty face again."

"I'm fine, okay?"

"Well you don't look fine _or_ okay." She said, "How about a smile?" To satisfy her I flashed a sarcastic grimace. She scowled playfully, "A real smile, silly-not-so-filly."

"Maybe later." I sighed, leaning away from her slightly and mentally adding that I would smile when there was something to smile about, "Any luck with the… spell or whatever?"

"Twilight's egg-heading about it upstairs in the cool room. She thinks that it'll give her ideas to be at the scene of the crime." She narrowed her eyes with a presumably sinister smile as if in deep thought, rubbing her hooves together, "Like a detective…" Her eyes brightened again with a shrug, "I'm not allowed to be her assistant, not after last time."

I didn't want to know what happened last time, "The cool room?"

"You know, the one with all of us in there. With the stuff that you said we used to be or something like that."

Oh, she meant the spare room with the merchandise, "I can see her logic in that."

"No, you don't _believe _her logic. Well technically you don't believe her magic which really _is_ her logic so that goes back to not believing her logic and-"

"Okay, point taken." I interrupted, getting to my feet and looking towards the stairs, "I'm going to go and check up on things. This is still my house even if it is overrun…"

"You know, you remind me of Gummy."

"What's a Gummy?"

"My pet alligator." She replied nonchalantly.

She had a _what_? "And… why do I remind you of an alligator?"

Pinkie altered her face into a grumpy expression and swayed from side to side, "Snap, snap, snap, all day long."

"Thanks…"

I couldn't stand to be in the same room as someone so happy. There wasn't anything to be happy about when you think about it. Didn't she get it? They were stuck in a place that would chew them up if they got caught, the chances of them getting back on their own her pretty non-existent and now I was selling them out to the person who sent them here. But… why was I feeling guilty about this? I'd already been through the reasons of why I was doing it. I just had to stop thinking of it as a negative. I couldn't think of it as selling them out. I was simply helping to send them home… with a few added hurdles along the way…

Feeling like I had to, I peeked my head around the door to the spare room as soon as I reached it. I had to avoid a Dash bullet on the way but I managed. The spare room was quiet, but there was one thing I didn't expect: seeing Twilight in the middle of a slow-motion hurricane of merchandise. Her horn was glowing again, making the objects float in circles around her as her lilac eyes squinted in concentration. Instantly I backed away to leave her too it. Only three seconds, I can deny this one. Instead, I made my way into my own room, hoping to get some quiet and rid myself of guilt.

But something caught my eye…

There, draped over my suitcase at the foot of my bed, was an item of clothing that I didn't recognise. Cautiously, I picked it up to examine it. It was a jacket I guessed. Sleeveless, yet very long so that if I were to put it on, it would travel at least to the back of my knees. For the most part it was black, but there was a line that signified where my waist would be in navy, falling in small ruffles to the bottom. Thin navy strips lined around the neck line and arm holes, silver sequins made the shape of a heart over the upper left side. I couldn't resist, I slipped it on.

"I took some estimations regarding measurements," said an articulate voice from behind me, making me jump, "But I think the overall result wasn't too shabby."

I turned around and saw Rarity standing proudly a few feet away from me. Suddenly it just clicked, "You used my shirts to make this?"

She gave a delicate smirk, "Of course! I've already admitted that anything I make for the others won't fit them for much longer, and there's no sense in letting a talent go to waste. So since you were permitting enough to let me use your clothing, it seemed like a good idea. You like?"

"I do." I admitted, feeling the sequins and ruffles, "Thank you."

"It's no trouble, darling, really it was no different from making dresses for ponies. Holes for the arms and such, it may be a tad long, but I'm used to working with dresses…"

"Seriously, I don't know how you did it, but it's great." Wow I don't think I'd given that many compliments in one go for a while, especially to these guys. But I couldn't help it, "But… why make it for me and not yourself?"

She gave ma a knowing look, "Well it's the least I could do, you gave me the materials so it's only fair I give you the final product."

"That's…" Okay Freya don't go overboard, it's just a jacket. One that she didn't have to make. Well I didn't exactly have to give up my suitcase for her either but that's not the point, "Thank you, I mean it."

"Anytime," she assured, giving a subtly yawn, "Well, I just wanted to make sure you received your gift before bed. I believe that I'm following your example in having an early night, I hope the others follow suit. I'm so glad you like it. Goodnight!"

"Yeah… G'Night."

As she left I felt weird, like the guilt from that morning had returned with a hollowness in my chest. She didn't have to do this for me, not when she could have either made something for herself or the others. I know she said that I was doing her a favour and was being more than helpful with giving her room to keep her skill in practice. But, did that call for this gift I didn't really deserve? I loved it but, I really didn't deserve it. Much like she claimed she didn't deserve all the materials but that wasn't the same thing.

I shut the door and looked in the mirror that was attached to the back of it. The jacket really was beautiful. It's hard to believe that only earlier it had been two of my scruffy T-shirts. A small smile tweaked at my lips. It was so generous of her…

"Ah!" I gasped, clutching a hand around my opposite wrist, "What the-?"

A slight heat spread around my neck travelling up my throat. Thinking about it, it wasn't painful, just surprising. My eyes widened in confusion as a soft golden glow started to emit beneath my fingers. I pulled away out of shock, holding my chin up to distance myself. What the actual hell? I couldn't call out for help, I was too stunned. A sudden weight added to the glow a fraction of a second before the light was put out. The quick return of gloom made me blink to adjust my eyes. When the room cleared, I stared down where the glow had come from, only to find it had been replaced with a… What was that?

I leaned closer to the mirror to find out. It was a thick, golden necklace, a decorative strip of wide gold acting at the main body. However to the way it was designed, a slight triangular dip in the centre allowed it to travel over my collar bones easily. It was a little on the snug side, but not unbearable. Fixed into the centre, was a jewel. A gleaming, smooth, purple diamond-shaped jewel… I ran my fingers over it, admiring its sheen. But then the realisation hit me and I rushed to remove it. Luckily it came away easily and I was left holding the beautiful thing in my hands. Was this…? No, it couldn't be…

_Generosity speaks for itself, it'll be found when one is deprived of self help…_

The voice flickered in my mind like an ember. The riddle… Generosity? Was that it? I gave Rarity more materials than she needed to practice her skill that she was deprived from using, and in return she made me the jacket when she could have made something for herself. Did that count? Seriously? So did that mean this was an element? It must be… I had an element in my hands! Five more to go I guess. But how? I didn't even know how this one showed up! And more importantly, how do I get it to Discord?

**A/N:**

**One down, five to go XD Discord will be pleased, but will the ponies if they find out? **


	7. Little Encouragement

**A/N:**

**So sorry for the long wait! I've got no excuse other than my mind has been preoccupied, I'm so sorry! But here you go, a new chapter just for you XD**

"Uh, are you okay?"

My question was guilt ridden, but I hoped no one would notice. Rarity looked up from her breakfast, a little weary looking as if deprived of sleep, yet there was a newfound spark in her eyes that didn't make sense, and yet she looked better for it. Well she would if it wasn't for the fatigue anyway. Wait, why was I even asking if she was okay? And why was I feeling guilt? Don't start this again, Freya!

"Yeah, you look tired, yet happy, so does that mean you're happy about being tired or are you happy because you're tired. Well that's kind of the same thing. Kinda like the Chimmi-Cherry Cherr-Chunga debate but that's another story." Pinkie rambled.

I had no idea what either of those things were and didn't want to ask. Rarity smiled reassuringly as she answered, "I'm perfectly fine, darling, although I do admit I feel a little odd. But I'm sure it's nothing."

"What's so odd about this nothin'?" Applejack asked sceptically.

"Well, it's quite strange, I felt it last night about… Oh never mind, it's just me being ridiculous."

"Oh for the love of Celestia, will you just tell us!" Rainbow demanded, hovering near my shoulder.

Rarity rolled her eyes, "If you insist… It felt like the rush one gets when wearing their element."

Twilight snapped her head up from a book she'd collected from the shelf, "Element? You found your element?"

"No, I _felt_ it. But for the life of me I can't locate it."

That's because you can't do proper magic or anything element related in this miniature form, I thought to myself, recalling Discords explanation. The element in question was hidden at the bottom of my suitcase, wrapped around some shirts and jeans. I didn't want to look at it. And frankly I wasn't sure if I wanted to get the rest of them. But I knew I had to. I made a deal, and I wanted my life back. It was too late to go back now. Finish what you start as they say.

"Well, um, maybe you need to be closer." Fluttershy offered quietly, "Maybe…"

I was more than willing to take the lifeline she'd unknowingly given me, "Yeah you never know, it might be sending signals out from Manhattan." I said, my usual sarcasm slightly forced.

"You mean _Mane_-hattan." Twilight corrected.

"Mane…? Oh." Seriously, more pony-puns? You know what, I didn't care anymore, "Ow!"

The next thing I knew Pinkie had hopped onto my lap and was using her front hooves to force my mouth into a smile, "Cheer up! This is a good thing you know!"

I shook her off, "That doesn't meant I have to grin like the Joker every time something goes your way."

"The Joker? He sounds like a real fun guy, do you know him?"

"…No…"

"Well you should still smile more anyways. Like this see?" she beamed to give me an example. But when I didn't comply she started pulling faces. Again, I didn't give more than an arch of an eyebrow, "Wow you really are a sourpuss."

"I'm not a sourpuss. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Oh so it's a challenge I see."

"You might want to take it easy on her, sugar-cube." Applejack said, looking at Pinkie in a friendly but warning glance.

"Oh I will, but just remember that-Oh my gosh what's that!"

At her sudden outcry, I turned my head in panic. What was is? Discord? An element? No? No. There was nothing behind me or in the room other than what was meant to be there. Irritably, I turned back to glower at her, but was interrupted by a sudden blast of confetti and a noise maker in my face. Pinkie waited with a smile for my reaction, which was a jolt of shock and a coughing fit when the paper got in my mouth.

"What the-? Where did you even get those?"

"You never know when you're gonna need them. Wait, still nothing?" she demanded, looking at me quizzically, "Time for plan b… When I think of it…"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, "Good luck, human."

I matched her gaze, "Thanks a lot, pony."

The entire day I spent looking over my shoulder for either one of Pinkie's jump attacks to try and get me to smile which varied from just sneaking up on me to somehow making balloons rain down on me; and with the fear that Discord was going to make a sudden debt collection. So much stress… But I had to continue. It was the best way to go about it, even if I wasn't happy about it. Well I hadn't been happy for a while with all that had happened. My brother was back in two days, and I still had five elements to find. Not to mention find Discord and give him the one I already had.

I ducked under Pinkie as she tried to jump out at me with a party horn blowing in her mouth. It didn't make me laugh, and it was just annoying. She huffed, still accepting her unmade challenge, zipping off to… wherever Pinkie's go when they're in the wrong world. My thoughts however were interrupted when I nearly tripped over a small orange mass.

"Sorry there, sugar-cube."

"It's fine…." I grumble.

"You know it'll buy y'all some time if ya just let Pinkie have her fun. She's a determined one."

"You don't say. Look, any other time or… situation, and maybe I could find her a little amusing but right now, I don't."

"Like that's gonna stop her." Rainbow commented, drifting past my shoulder.

"I know." I huffed, "But she's got to take a hint at some point, right?"

The two exchanged a look and I knew my answer there and then, "Is there anywhere to hide at least?" Another look. I was screwed, "Good to know."

"Now go easy on her, sugar-cube, she's just doing things her way like the rest of us. Ain't no harm really." Applejack smiled musingly.

"I know." I shrugged, figuring that she was right as I made my way into the kitchen, talking to them over my shoulder, "But I wish she'd leave me out of it…"

Again, I know I was being harsh, but it wasn't personal at all. And to show it I have them a good natured smile as I left the room. I just didn't know what to do anymore. Things were just getting more and more complicated. My hands clutched the glass tensely as I poured myself some soda. Maybe I should just tell them what happened. They know more about it than me. But if I do, Discord will go back on his part of the deal and leave me in this mess. God why did things have to be so damn-

My thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sound of someone sniffing. My eyes darted here and there but could not find the source. Slowly, I realised it was coming from below, under the dining table. I crouched down and saw a small yellow and pink figure curled in on itself, trying to hide.

"Fluttershy?"

Her eyes darted upwards to me fearfully, they had the thinnest rim of tears lined at the bottom of them. She looked so small and meek the way she was curled in on herself like that, "Oh, um…"

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes. I just, um, well…"

"You're crying." I noted, crouching down further so that I wasn't looming over her. I kind of wanted to comfort her or something, but I didn't feel it was my place. I mean I know I've picked her up before, but this was different, "So… what's wrong?"

"I just, um, was thinking a-about wh-what Twilight said and, um… It's nothing. I'm just being silly again."

"I never thought you were being silly to begin with. What did Twilight say?"

"About it taking a little longer to get home, she can't figure out how this happened and… Please, I'm just making a fuss… There's no need to worry."

I shrugged, "If you don't want to say then that's fine but, you know… if you do… I'm listening."

She sniffed and brushed away the tears with her front hoof, "I just, um… I just…" Her voice got tighter and harder to hear, suddenly she let out the faintest of whispers, "I miss home."

"Oh… right." What do I say to that? "You'll be back there soon though."

"I hope so."

Oh god, she was crying again. Silent, shuddery sobs to boot. I wasn't any good with this stuff damn it! Finally, I chose to bite the bullet and sit cross-legged beside her, shuffling so I was under the table too, my head ducked and putting a hand on her back in hopes of comfort. What I didn't expect was her to her react to suddenly to it, turning her head and burying it into my side, letting more tears spill heavily. Oh, right, well this was happening.

"I-It's not for me. I-I'm worried about the animals I look after. What if something h-happens to them and I c-can't do anything because I'm here? Oh please don't think I d-don't like it here, it's a lovely home I-I just-"

The poor thing was tearing herself apart here. I couldn't just ignore her. Cringing at the awkwardness I was trying to suppress, I used an arm to loop around her to pull her onto my lap, using my free arm to push back her mane as she buried into me, ashamed to show her tears. I let her cry for a minute or so, just to get it out of her system before saying anything. I held back a cringe. No sooner was I complaining about these ponies messing up my life and then I was here being nice as anything to them! I can't win!

"I'm sure they're fine." I offered, "And you know that they're going to be right there waiting for you when you get back."

She took a breath, "Oh, I-I know… But…"

"But it's hard to think like that when you're scared."

"A little…"

I smoothed her mane gently, "I know."

"Y-you do?"

The feeling of panic when you think that something's going to go horribly wrong and you have no idea how to stop it and even if you did you wouldn't be able to anyway? Yeah I kind of knew it really well, had been feeling it for he past few days even. Of course I didn't tell her this, but I nodded, "Sure." The next thing that came out of my mouth, I believed to be a total lie and complete bull, but if it was going to make her feel better then I was going to go for it, "But things always work out right in the end, you've just got to give it some time."

She gave me the smallest of smiles and looked away sheepishly, "I-I'm sorry, I feel just awful you having to listen to me babble. It's very kind of you."

When exactly had she babbled? Oh well best not to put her down even more. I shrugged dismissively as she shifted back to the floor, "Don't mention it."

"Oh, oh okay…"

I shook my head good naturedly, "I meant that there's no need to apologise."

"Oh. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding." She offered.

Wow this one had issues… I gave a smile to put her at ease, "It's okay. So… are you okay here or do you want to go and join the others?"

"I think I'll go and join the others. OH, if that's okay with you of course."

"Of course it is." I answered, trying to hide the scoff in my voice for her sake, "Your friends, your rules."

"Oh of course." She nodded as she started to leave the room, "Which is why I asked you."

That took me by surprise. Friend? Really? Oh hell, please don't think of me as a friend. I'm not a friend. I'm selling you out! No Freya! Don't let that make you guilty. It'll be for the best in the end. They get home in some way or another, they know where the elements are and I get my life. I can't count how many times I've been through this. They're not your friends, they're just something to put up with until they can leave. It's simple.

What wasn't so simple to explain was the sudden warmth circling around my throat. I glanced down and saw the unwontedly familiar glow emitting around my throat. It's a good thing I was hidden under the table, because I don't think a Sonic-X style golden ring showing up would have been easy to explain. My hands clamped around my throat in hopes of dimming it. They closed around something smooth and metallic. Grudgingly, I yanked the snug trinket from my neck to examine it. Like the last one, it was golden and engraved with spirals and patters, but instead of a purple diamons, the centre-piece held a pink jewel in the shape of a butterfly.

What the hell did that one mean? It matched Fluttershy's mark, but what was her element? I didn't know… I shoved it back around my neck and pulled the zipper on my jacket all the way to the top so that the trinket was well hidden. I didn't want to draw any attention to myself as I crawled out from under the table and made my way across the room until I got to the stairs. I had to hide this. Get it out of sight and out of mind. I didn't stop until I reached my room, closing the door behind me. By now the others were used to my stand-offish nature and didn't think much on it. The minute I was alone, I removed the element, scrambling in my hiding place until I found the other. I put them next to each other, staring at them in dismay.

"What the hell am I doing?" I breathed, a dead weight in my chest.

A sly, almost cruel voice behind me made me jump, "You're doing well, my dear."

**A/N:**

**Two elements down, four to go, and Discord has returned again. XD I'll try not to leave it so late next time XD**


	8. A Change of Mind

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the long wait! Work is starting up again soon so it's been constant preparation. Yay... not really. Anyways, enjoy the new chapter and thank you so much to 'Nicolagirl' for making the awesome cover picture for this story! It's amazing XD**

I span around, searching for the source of the voice. By now I knew exactly who it was, "Discord, show yourself!"

"I'm already in plain sight, my dear, you're just not looking hard enough."

"Do I look like I'm in the mood for games?"

"You look like you're in the mood in general… It's a good thing I'm here to put a smile on your face."

Where was he? I tried my best to follow the voice, but it wasn't leading me anywhere. Something moved in the corner of my eye, a thin mismatched figure posing in a photo frame on the windowsill. The photo was of the last time my brother, parents and I went on vacation. It was me and my brother sitting by a river, him grinning and waving at the camera while I pulled a face behind him. And there, right at the back, holding a fishing rod and casting it into the water, was Discord… I picked up the frame and glared down at him.

"I've got two of your elements now what do you want?"

He sniggered, reeling in the fishing line, "Someone's eager to take the bait."

"Don't patronize me."

"I wouldn't dream of it." He rolled his eyes, yanking back the rod so that the water, by some freak manipulation, actually splashed. I flinched as the water flecked my eyes. By the time I looked back, he was gone. The picture was still and as it should be, "Don't tell me you're starting to feel sorry for those pony cretins."

I span around, seeing him at his full height sneering down at me, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He put on his best puppy dog eyes, voice heightening to sound more girly as he started to reel off quotes, "_It's the least I could do for you… I'm so glad you like it… Oh sugar-cube… Oh it's very kind of you… Friend…"_

"Stop patronizing me!" I snapped, "And I'm just trying to make things a little easier around here so I don't entirely lose my mind!"

"Aww, if only you were as convincing as you think you are."

This was going nowhere fast. I glared at him, "You have your version, I have mine. It's getting you your elements so what's your problem?"

"Now don't try and turn things around on me, Freya." He tutted, "You're the one who is wavering on our deal, and I take my deals very seriously."

"I'm doing the best I can! I don't even understand how I got these two." I admitted, nodding towards the case that held the golden trinkets, "Your riddles don't exactly make things easy…And you missed one."

"Explain…"

I furrowed my brow in thought, "Somehow, I got Generosity and Kindness. And your riddles mentioned Laughter, Honesty and Magic. That's five. But there's six ponies."

"Only just figured that one out?" He jabbed at a few numbers on a calculator, adjusting a pair of glasses over his maw and honestly I have no idea where either of those came from. He smirked and chucked them aside, "She collects elements and can do basic math. You're really on a roll today, my dear. But yes, I did miss an element, but don't think it was a mistake. It was intentional."

"Well now that we've gotten that cleared up, how about elaborating a little! What about the sixth element?"

"So impatient, it's not like either of us are going anywhere…" he sneered, "But I suppose a simple question deserves a simply answer. The reason I didn't give you a clue as to where it was, is because I don't need you to find it. Does this look familiar?"

He flicked out his tail, forcing me to step backwards. What was this creature made of? I couldn't even tell half of the time. But what I could tell, was that something small was clasped snugly around it. A familiar golden band, lined with swirling patterns acted as the main body. And standing proudly in the centre, was a gleaming ruby. It had been crafted into the shape of a lightning bolt. Wait… Lightening. I knew this one. Or who it belonged to anyway.

"This is Dash's element, isn't it?"

"Loyalty to be more exact."

That actually made a lot of sense come to think if it, "How did you get it?"

"By now I suppose you've figured out that to gain an element you must share it with those who represent it. Such as showing kindness and generosity to those who wield those elements." He sounded like he was mocking me, but he continued before I could respond, "They had already shown their spirit of Loyalty when they chose to band together when they were transported here. All I did was swipe the element before they could figure it out."

He swiped his tail away, blocking the lightning ruby from sight. For some reason, I felt a little let down. Disappointed even. And I didn't understand why, "So... You're just using me to make them act out their elements, it's not me who's summoning them or anything? The elements just latch on to whoever's closest."

"That's the jist of it yes." He paused, looking at my stern face which must have regrettably shown some dejection. Those yellow eyes brightened as he snickered wryly, his form slithered around me as he spoke, "Oh my dear, did you think that you were some thing special? That you were some key piece in this mystery you've found yourself in?" He put his paw and talloned forearms on my shoulders in a mock attempt at comfort, "I'm so sorry to have built your hopes up! But no, you're just a human who was in the wrong place at the right time."

I shoved him away, "Shut up! I didn't want any part of this, that's why I'm helping you remember? To get out of this! I don't want to be some missing piece or any clichéd tripe like that!"

He laughed, not believing me, "Of course not..."

"I don't want to hear anymore." I snapped, "I'll get you your elements, but you need to get the hell away from me!"

Discord patted my head roughly, "I knew I could count on such a good little helper."

"Get out..."

"But I'm not in yet so I can't really get out, silly not-so-filly!"

I turned on my heel to the doorway so see the small, pink, cheery form of Pinkie grinning at me in the doorway. True to her word she was not technically in the room yet. Crap, how long had she been standing there? I turned my head, expecting Discord to still be sneering over my shoulder, but there was nothing. It was as if he'd never been there in the first place. The only sign that been here, mocking me and patronising me, was that the case where I had hidden the two elements or Kindness and Generosity, was now empty. He'd taken them, and now he had three. Three down, three to go. Not that I was anything special, he could easily get them back himself. He just wanted to get some entertainment out of his mistake. Lucky me...

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked, trying not to sound as disheartened as I felt.

By the way she trotted so cheerily into the room I guess not long enough to have seen Discord. To be honest I kind of wish she had. It might have made things a little easier, "Not as long as you've been looking down in the dumps I'll bet."

I turned away from her to sit on the edge of the bed, hiding my face which had flushed from irritation and dejection. Why was I so let down? I didn't want to have a role in this, I should be happy that I wasn't some cliché cog in this impossible machine, "What makes you think I'm down in the dumps?" I quoted.

She made a run and jump and scrambled up to sit at my side, propping her front hooves on my shoulder, peering at me quizzically, "Well the about-to-cry face is a bit of a give away, and also you're not pushing me away so maaaaybe that's a sign too. So what's got you all pouty face?"

"Shouldn't you be used to it by now?"

She shrugged, tilting to give me a knowing look, "You may not think it, but you are important. Everyone is."

For a moment, I froze, had she been listening to Discord and I? What did she know? "Wh-what makes you say that?"

"Just had a hunch that it was something you needed to hear." She giggled, "I got those a lot!"

"It's nothing." It shouldn't be anything anyway. I was just being stupid. Lets just get this element crap out of the way so I could get my life back, "Look, Pinkie, thanks for the concern but-"

I was cut off by her making an odd noise, poking her tongue out and closing one eye in what I presumed she meant as comical. When I tried to speak again, she repeated the noise and pulled a different face, equally as odd. What... was she doing? I didn't have time for this! Again and again I tried to speak, again and again she cut me off with more elaborate faces, stretching her smile of tilting her head at angles. I dont... I have no idea... But it was just so random. And weird. And lets face it after all that had just happened, this was a kind of random and weird that I wasn't resentful to. And I couldn't help it, I chuckled.

She beamed, "There ya go! I think that's the first time I heard you laugh! Do it again!" She prodded my nose and made a 'boop!' noise to go with it.

I rubbed my nose and nudged her away, still giving a small laugh in return, "Be honest, are you always like this?"

"Always like a Pinkie Pie? Sure I am!" she arched an eyebrow, "Are you always like this?"

"Like what?" I asked, giving a half smile.

"Like a Freya who secretly likes having fun but covers it up with seriousness for no reason."

"It's... complicated."

"More complicated than why your neck is glowing?" she asked innocently.

"What do y-? I've got to go!"

I glanced down to see that her words rang true. I jumped up and clamped a hand around my neck to try and block the glow from view. Getting to the bathroom and locking the door was easier then expected without drawing attention from the others, and I wasn't complaining. I leaned against the sink and stared into the mirror as the golden band emerged around my neck, a blue gem fixed into the centre proudly. A balloon... Like one of the ones on Pinkie's mark... What did I do?! I didn't do anything different. She just came to cheer me up and try and put a smile on my face and- I laughed. She made me laugh. _Laughter you see, is a favorite of mine, so don't expect it to appear at the expected time._

My finger traced along the intricate pattern on the band before pulling it away from me. Only two to go... But, I didn't want this. I stared at myself in the mirror and felt anger. Since they'd gotten here, they'd been nothing but understanding and respectful to me. And I was betraying them. But, I wanted my life back, this was a good thing for all of us, right? But was it worth it if it meant they were going to have to face Discord with nothing to back them up? I didn't know... They'd be defenseless, all because of me.

Maybe... Maybe Discord was right. I guess I was starting to get attached to them. I couldn't let this go on any longer...

A knock at the door made me jump, "You alright in there, sugar-cube? Ya looked awful upset."

I took a breath, straightened up, and turned to the door. This ends now. "Applejack, I... I really need to tell you something."

**A/N:**

**Is being honest to Applejack really the best idea? We'll have to wait and see.**


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